Maa, This is For You

Life begins looking at mother’s face and, this is the face which is the guiding angel of our life. The bond between a mother and her child is the strongest one and instantaneous. Nothing in the world is comparable to it.

My mother is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Beautiful, not in the sense of physical appearance- there would be millions of women more beautiful than her. But, to me, her face is the most angelic one. Her presence has the magical aura which instantly makes me calm even amidst the strongest of emotional turmoil. Her strokes on my cheeks empower me to stand against every adversity.

My mother has a strict personality. In my childhood she was not actually my friend; rather she had the persona of an intransigent teacher. She analyzed my every move, criticized my every work. Sometimes, it disgusted me and often led me to think that she must have found me near the dustbin! How come a mother could be so stringent to her own child!

But as I was growing up, gradually she was opening herself up to me. She was becoming my friend. After leaving the school, I entered college and, eventually discovered love. And, believe me, it was my maa who was the first person to know about it. She was no more a stubborn parent, but a compassionate friend in whom I can confide. This transformation didn’t come all of a sudden, it took time, but it did happen.

Now, as I’m a mother now, I can understand the reasons for her primary obdurateness. It helped me to become an honest person with good manners. Now I can realize why she never encouraged me to pick flowers from the neighbor’s garden; why she scolded me when I borrowed a book from the library and never bothered to return it. Her every word now reflects my present action as I’m behaving in the same way with my kid. All she wanted was to instill tradition, faith and honesty in me. And, I’m just following her path. She was #MyFirstExpert even when I failed to understand it.

Now, as I’m married and live away from her, she calls me at least twice a day. Once, to know if everything is well at my workplace and household and, secondly, to inform me that all is fine at her place. Yes, the role has reversed; as I think, happens with every daughter and mother. We are now on the same level. But, still I don’t know why when my son fell from the stairs and got badly hurt, I called her not only to get the expert advice but also to sob uncontrollably. I can realize exactly where it hurts when children are injured.

Maa, forgive me for not understanding your feelings at times; for shouting at you when you said ‘no night-out with friends’, for throwing all kinds of tantrums when you asked me to gulp down a glass of milk….now I know, I know for sure your feelings.

Thank you for teaching not only the alphabets but also the lessons of life. Thank you for bringing me to this beautiful world. If I have done anything in my life that deserves an appreciation, I have inherited the grain from you; my mother, my home, and heart, #MyFirstExpert.

This post was well written, it came from the heart and had universal appeal to parents and children. I am sure your mother is proud of the woman and mother you have become. I look forward to reading more.

My mom was like you – strict when I was growing up, but later she became my first friend. A heart warming read, Maniparna. As a mother, you have poured your heart in it. Even I want to say sorry to my mum. Well, I do it very often from couple of years.

Indeed, a mother is possibly the best evidence that there is a higher Power and Self out there. The evidence of Selfless love. The evidence of a Guide, Mentor and Well wisher. The evidence of being there always, waiting for your return. The evidence of forgiveness. The evidence of Empathy. The evidence of powerful listening. The evidence of …….. The list goes on and on.

Your post took my thoughts to an old B & W photograph I had seen decades back. Of a photo of an aging parent and a child. With the caption. ” Hold my hand as I once held yours.” To me, this signified the meaning of life more than anything else.

Mothers are there to fulfill our every need when we are young…they hold our hands to make us learn the art of walking..walking in the way of life. They are our guide, always…with an unconditional love….. 🙂

Thank you very much for leaving such a heartfelt comment. Welcome to my blog….I’m honoured to have a reader like you… :-)….

I love this piece…and I understand it completely! The circle of life…now we are the mothers and in my situation, I now care for my mom. It is important to honor this most sacred relationship….I can see the adoration you have for your mom…and I am sure that you will be just like her ❤ ❤

Awww, Lorrie…this is such a heart-warming comment. Yes, it’s the most sacred and unconditional love that is shared between a mother and her child. Thanks so much for such lovely words. Blessings and happiness to you, dear…. ❤ 🙂

The mother-daughter relationship reflects well in your writing. It’s the unconditional love of mothers that makes the world a lovely place to live.
A nice campaign from Godrej to celebrate Mother’s day.

I couldn’t have said in such lovely words, and indeed there is no comparison to what we get from our mother. Your thoughts are highly inspiring and it makes me to sit down and think what I have done and how I behave with my mother. I am sure this is what we all experience when we are young and what simple don’t understand value of the relationship we have with our mother, and yes it is only when we become parent we realize the essence of that engagement with our parent…
The post in really touchy and very emotional…
😀

Such an open, honest tribute, it makes me smile to not only get to know you more but also to have insight into your mum and your relationship, so heartfelt. I wish I could write in the way you can but I am happy to be a reader of those words you bring to us in such style.

I recollect one of the sayings of Ramkrishna, when asked by devotees, if it is possible to see God…The crisp reply, if you can match, in your prayers, the unconditional love of a mother towards heŕ child, you can see….Mothers are just like that, handholding in every step of life, unconditionally…….Beautifully penned!

Tears pool in my eyes. I did not have a relationship with my mother as you did, and to this day, still do not. I had an ugly childhood, one that I do not talk much about. I am happy for you that you have experienced this Love, and my Heart smiles for you. Thank you for sharing your private world. Bless you, Maniparna. Love, Amy ❤

Sorry Amy, I can understand how much pain it might be to have a disturbed childhood. You’ve such a blessed soul and one of the loveliest minds I’ve ever come through. I know you for a few days, but your words always exude calmness and peace …they make me feel happy and positive.

All will be happy with you, in your future life, dear. Trust me… 🙂 God bless and lots of love… ❤ XOXO

looks like all moms are the same everywhere….their love, their incessant care, the stubbornness to keep their children on the right path, the pain when the children get hurt….I remember my mother always used to say to me and my brother….’you will realize when you will have kids of your own….”….and even those words are true…..:)

A beautiful tribute to your mom Maniparna. The strictness in the formative years is something I could relate to very well both as a daughter and as a mother. But the most beautiful part is that now you realize how it has helped you to be the person you are. Best wishes for the contest.

What a lovely tribute to your Mom. It took me a lifetime to truly understand and appreciate my own mother’s strict style parenting. Adulthood brought the realization that her motivations were for my future. She was enabling me with the tools I would need to be a person who could contribute positively to world. I love your candidness and love for about and for your mom. Blessings upon you both.

First of all this was a small sneak peek into your personal life. You don’t share much but then Godrej and IB forced you to do so this time 😀

Found near the dustbin made me laugh a lot. It’s a common thing that Indian kids somehow think. 😛 Actually no one understands why elders say certain things until they are there. So no use blaming yourself on that.

Finally there is a typo when your son…. Check it out 🙂 Good luck for the contest.

Aare na..not lying..you know, we have to improvise incidents to fit them with the stories we are writing. Even people who are writing autobiographies, do so. 😀 That’s it. That doesn’t mean they are not true..but at the same time they are not to be believed word by word. This happens with all the writers. 🙂

wow! I can relate my feelings to it. our entire life is not enough to understand maa’s love.You have expressed genuinely how daughter’s feel when they are away from their maa,especially when they are transformed into mature women.Loved your writing Maniparna<3

Thanks, Suchetana. Glad to know that you could relate to my words….I think every daughter has felt this way at some point of life. 🙂 Maturity helps us to understand our parents better. Thanks so much for the lovely comment, dear…. 🙂

A beautiful tribute to you mother and a lovely reminder for all of us to understand and acknowledge the selfless love of mothers before it is too late.
As always, loved reading words coming straight from the heart 🙂